The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Friday, April 3, 2015

New Development Sprouting Like Balloons

A fascinating map provided by neighbor Jacob Garchik shows just how quickly we've become awash in new building development. It sure makes me feel popular, given the number of these developments right near my home. Actually, PS92 might be the epicenter. Note the extraordinary power of landmarking. If you zoom in you'll see just how protected is the Lefferts Manor and it's slightly bigger Prospect Lefferts Gardens Historic District. Not to put to fine a point on it, but just imagine what this could be like if each and every project was required to build means-tested housing?

23 comments:

Anyone else out there concerned about what this means for the daily commute? The B and Q are already pretty packed in the morning before the train even reaches the Prospect Park stop so what kind of fresh hell are we in for once we are competing for subway space with all the future residents of these developments underway. I don't trust the MTA to draw the same conclusions on their own (or to actually care), so I'm attending the Rider's Alliance meeting at the Park Slope Y next Wednesday to address my concerns. Thanks for sharing this map, Tim! It will be a helpful visual!

The development on Bedford and Fenimore is two homes that are being demolished to make one tall-ish building. All the trees from the backyards have been taken down, so its pretty big property. There's rumor of the third house on that side being the next to go.

I'm not against development but holy cow, this is quite the free for all happening here!

More middle class families (of all races) in the new housing enrolling in PS 92 would make all the difference. Finally. It's so difficult for working class and low income parents and single moms to have the time and money to work to improve and bring more programs and resources to their schools, or even a sense of empowerment to do it. But they can join in and support it if others can spearhead it.

I live on Fairview Pl (corner of Martense & Nostrand) there are two very large wood frames houses that have been neglected for years. According to a 1888 census map, they were some of the first buildings in the area before row house development. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to realize what is going to happen when both are bought together. Prime spot around the corner from the 2&5.

Anon @ 1:59, my boyfriend lives down the street from fairview pl, on e 31st--and they recently tore down a big woodframe house near the corner of church. he spoke to a well-dressed man on site when the house was being demo'd and he said he was the owner of the 2 parking lots on Nostrand between Church and Snyder, and they were devoloping all 3 small lots to be 4 story buildings (or 6 stories in the case of one of them i think). Apparently this man was no older than 30 years old which sounds so strange to me. There's a lot of prospecting going on around the Church 2/5 stop if you ask me.

Don't worry, Mary, a lot of those developments will put more people onto the already-nightmarish 2 and 5 trains. I dread having to take them in the morning rush hour; they arrive at my stop (Sterling St.) already so crowded I often have to let multiple trains pass by before I can force my way on. The B and Q are heaven by comparison. If I had to commute to Manhattan every morning on those trains I would move. Thank goodness I don't.

They are also getting ready to develop the Seacrest Linen warehouse on Carroll Street between Franklin Avenue & Washington Avenue, well technically the shuttle tracks across from the Police Station for the transit bureau. They are doing the borings now and demo can be far behind! It is going to be craziness when these all get underway.

There's many projects east of Nostrand that aren't documented. I assume that's usually because they are smaller projects that are almost certainly being targeted at the orthodox community but it's still weird that no one ever writes about them. Two on Lefferts, a couple others near Brooklyn and East New York. Plus a half dozen others in the Wingate Park area.

Of course because of bad zoning the lack of walkable retail in that part of the area won't be fixed. Zoning rules preclude retail on the ground floors of those multi-unit buildings which is a real shame for dense walkable neighborhoods.

Christopher: I'm pretty sure they do come up in conversations on the main Lubavitcher websites. CB9 is looking at a planning study on the western side of the district, and I usually stop around NY Avenue when "reporting" on stuff. But yeah anywhere along the IRT is pretty much fair game at this point, as evidenced by the 23 story tower near Erasmus Hall and the 400 units planned for Clarkson at Nostrand. The IRT is definitely in need of a couple more trains per hour, and you're absolutely right about the shame of not allowing retail.

East of Nostrand is going to be covered in solid condo buildings within the next several years. It's sad. But there is actually a diverse group of renters and buyers in those buildings. I had to bring my child to therapy in one such building so we saw residents there and I would look in windows as we walk around that area. There are black and non-Jewish residents in the new buildings. A black woman friend bought a condo in one. The shoppers at Marketplace the new supermarket are mostly Jewish but I would always see non-white and non-Jewish shoppers too. The owners make a big point to be friendly to us. They clearly want everyone shopping there. I wonder too if it's helpful having non-Jewish neighbors to help on Sabbath so they're cool with it.

I have 3 construction sites around my building here on Lefferts between Nostrand & NY Ave, that don't seem to be on that map. All 3 are multi-family, and two of them are BIG, with 40 plus apartments. The noise has been going on for 2 years now, and the parking is going to be a nightmare. PeaceCat

Actually rent hikes are slowing down. I'm not saying that has anything to do with all the new apartments coming online. It may just be a sign that the market is finding its level.

Look, you can't judge what would happen to prices if you put a stop to development unless you...put a stop to development and see what it does. I'm not sure I can imagine it doing anything but squeezing prices further, but perhaps you can point to studies that suggest otherwise.